Two winters back, we brought the construction of a duplex at the corner of 11th & Wallace to your attention. At the time, we were pleased to see that the long vacant lot was being filled, and lamented the fact that the surrounding lots remained undeveloped. There was also a vacant former bar on the block crying out for demolition or redevelopment.
Passing by over the weekend, we discovered that the duplex is complete, but it looks kinda bad. The stucco bays (which don't look any good the minute they're installed anywhere) look like they're already cracking. Somehow, somebody bought this building for $470K last September. As you can see in the photo above, there's construction going on next door.
Where once there were vacant lots and a creaky old bar, we now see framing. Under construction are three more duplexes, designed by Harman Deutsch. We would imagine that the developers, Bamboo Properties, will attempt to sell the units as condos. Then again, it's not a terrible situation if they can convince the investors who bought the building at the corner to buy these as well. Hopefully the new buildings will end up looking a little nicer than the property on the corner, too. Then again, this neighborhood isn't exactly known for its fantastic architecture. It's a latter day Graduate Hospital in that regard.
So the hope is, as the area continues to improve, the look of new buildings will follow suit. Place your bets, folks.